Yulia Skripal, the 33-year-old woman who was poisoned alongside her father on March 4th in Salisbury, England, says she has been awake for a week now and her condition is improving.
CNN:
"I woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. I am grateful for the interest in me and for the many messages of goodwill that I have received," Skripal said in a statement released on her behalf by London's Metropolitan Police.
"I have many people to thank for my recovery and would especially like to mention the people of Salisbury that came to my aid when my father and I were incapacitated. Further than that, I would like to thank the staff at Salisbury District Hospital for their care and professionalism," she said.
"I am sure you appreciate that the entire episode is somewhat disorientating, and I hope that you'll respect my privacy and that of my family during the period of my convalescence," she added.
According to the UK Foreign Office, the Russian embassy has reached out to Yulia and offered assistance – which she has rejected – and requested access to Yulia and her father – which the UK has denied.
Yulia's improvement comes as relations between the UK and Russia are deteriorating because of the poisoning.
CNN:
Russia called a second United Nations Security Council meeting on Thursday, seeking to undermine Britain's case that it was responsible for the attack.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia blasted the UK and called the allegations against Russia a "fake story." He warned that the UK was "playing with fire and they will be sorry."
Nebenzia accused the UK of turning other countries against Russia. "You started a wave that even reached New York," he said.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko said he was "really happy" about Yulia Skripal's recovery and that he hoped she would come back to Moscow where she has a job and apartment."
Speaking to reporters at the Russian Embassy in London on Thursday, Yakovenko said he hoped Sergei Skripal would also recover. Asked whether he might return also, Yakovenko said: "That is his choice. He decided to live here in the UK, no problem. Because from the point of the Russian state, Russia has no problem with him."
Sergei Skripal, 66, remains in critical but stable condition.
Yulia Skripal issues statement: 'My strength is growing daily' (CNN)